#and it gives people more reasons to agree or disagree with each other and point to your vague-ass message as evidence

[pocketgalaxies]

hi! seeing you during all this ep95 mess has been a breath of fresh air. you seem to have a really firm grasp of canon so I wanted to ask what you think of the recent discord message from Liam where he says Orym didn't know that Laudna was under Delilah's influence when she killed Bor'dor? I watched the clip from 4SD, & it's pretty clear that Liam says Orym understood Laudna was opening the door for Delilah when he encouraged her to kill Bor'dor & even says "we'll need that." But the Discord message seems to walk that back. It's been super frustrating being accused of vilifying Orym or infantilizing Laudna for repeating what Liam himself said. I just don't really know how to reconcile these two statements from Liam & it has me a bit confused on Orym's character.

hi anon, thank you!

this turned into a much longer one than i was expecting dfksjdkfs

so last week i posted this Really Long Ask about the whole discussion, if you want to take a look. but i intentionally didn't bring up liam's discord message because you're right! it seemed contradictory to something that was stated in the past, which was confusing

honestly i think the most realistic answer is that liam probably didn't mean for what he said on 4SD to be understood as such a strong and maybe even polarizing character choice. i think a lot of us heard it as "orym sees delilah as a useful/necessary asset that outweighs what might happen to laudna afterward." particularly because he framed it as something that made the whole situation "even creepier," and during that same convo, marisha was emphasizing the psychological impact that killing bor'dor had on laudna. it's a strong stance and it reflects what orym is doing to himself (handing his endgame over to the questionably fickle nana morri to increase their chances of success against ludinus)

but i suppose liam's clarification suggests that he meant it in a softer, more practically level-headed way, like "orym knew he couldn't do a whole lot about delilah's return but he also thought it could have benefits," or something along those lines. they're obviously two hugely different interpretations with pretty big implications on how we understand orym's relationship with laudna

i'm not a connoisseur of orym's character by ANY means so i can't confidently tell you what the change might mean from a narrative perspective, but i personally still prefer the former stronger stance. because i think it raises interesting questions about how orym views his own place in this war and whether or not it's valid for him to (intentionally or subconsciously) project that placement onto the other party members. is it okay for orym to expect the same level of personal sacrifice from laudna, or imogen with predathos (a whole separate can of worms), or anyone else? is it safe? etc etc. but maybe liam doesn't want to go in that direction, or maybe he does but just not in the way we expect, i don't know! only time will tell!

also regardless of what he meant, i think it's important to acknowledge that it's really easy and completely understandable to feel like he was walking something back. that episode of 4SD was almost a whole year ago! many of us built that statement into our perception and understanding of orym's character for a long time, so it's totally valid to go "wait what the fuck???" when liam suddenly pops into the discord to say that's not what he meant. those feelings are valid and real! especially when discourse can already make you question your own intelligence and your personal interpretations of a story, having that pillar, as big or small as it might've been in your mind, knocked over can be really jarring. you are very much not alone in that, and it's okay!!

[hxney-lemcn]

Crushcrushcrush — Ranpo Edogawa x gn! reader

summery: a simple deal turns into more as reader and Ranpo become closer.

tw: idk if it should be counted as objectification but Ranpo refers to reader as a treat (this is all sfw)

a/n: idk how I feel about this, what do y'all think? (title is a song)

wc: 1.6k

Master List

“I have an offer,” You stated, dragging a lone chair to sit across from Ranpo’s desk. A bored look painted the young detective's face, mindlessly rolling a lollipop over his tongue. Although he didn’t move, his eyes watched you with slight interest. 

Recently Ranpo seemed less and less inclined to do his work. It shouldn’t bother you, he wasn’t your responsibility…well at least when it came to his paperwork. Yet a nagging feeling tugged at you as his pile of work grew, less and less cases likely to be solved. The closure for someone’s loved ones or the safety of others relied on the whims of a childish detective. It didn’t feel right. So, when you were overthinking this problem only you seemed to have for the past week, you believed  you came up with a bulletproof plan.

“I’m listening,” Ranpo hummed.

Running over exactly what you wanted to say, you brought up a deal he couldn’t pass, “If you solve 10 cases every work week then I’ll treat you to whatever you want as long as it’s ¥4,500 or under. I’ll keep track of your monthly average, and if you exceed 40 cases solved in a month I’ll treat you to something worth ¥10,000. What do you say?”

There was a pause as Ranpo considered the pros and cons of this deal, and skeptically he asked “What do you get out of this?”

You hadn’t considered him to ask that. Either he would have agreed or disagreed, not dive into your intentions. Ironically, you felt that your reasoning was somewhat childish, so you hesitated before coming clean, “I just want to help people.”

Ranpo blinked before a smile spread across his face, “Okay! Nothing the world's greatest detective can’t handle.” He leaned back in his chair, arms resting behind his head.

“Oh!” You blinked, surprised he had actually agreed. “Cool, great. We’ll start next month so it’s easier for me to keep track.”

What became a simple agreement between co-workers shifted into a friendship. At first you thought you’d just give him the cash at the end of the week to spend on whatever his heart wanted…yeah you hadn’t thought that part through. When you tried to give Ranpo the cash at the end of the first week, he whined, complaining about how he needed someone to guide him to his favorite candy store. So not only were you giving him an allowance, but you had also become his go to guide. At first you were a bit annoyed, yes you had no grudges against the black haired detective, but all you wanted to do on a Friday evening was to rest in bed. 

Although it was an annoyance at first, your time together had grown on you. You got to know Ranpo better, and although he was very childish, arrogant, selfish…you get the point, he was also quite entertaining. You two worked together, but you hadn’t really interacted with him except for the meetings or greeting as you’d pass by. You felt yourself glued when Ranpo would tell you of his past cases, hands moving around while still holding his spoon with melting ice cream dripping onto the table. 

It didn’t take long for feelings to start forming. This agreement had gone on for 3 months at this point and you found yourself excited for the weekly outing you two shared. His childishness that had endeared you before was your downfall. Ever since you got to know each other better, Ranpo had begun pestering you more. Whether it be poking you for more snacks, or requesting you to join him during his cases, he never failed to gain your attention in one way or another. Which gained the attention of your fellow co-workers.

Dazai drawled your name, moving his chair to join you at your desk. You barely gave the bandaged detective a glance, continuing the report you needed to finish about you and Ranpo’s last case. Dazai disregarded your disinterest and continued, “Why haven’t you offered me a reward for getting work done?” A pout rested on his lips as he stared at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

You quickly shut him down, “You wouldn’t do the work.”

He found a way to make himself look even more pathetic as he whined, “You’re so mean! Ranpo gets to hang out with such an attractive person while the rest of us are just chopped liver.”

You stared at him blankly, unsure what his motivations could possibly be, “You just want free food.”

Dazai leaned back in his chair, hand resting over his chest in a dramatic gesture, “You wound me! Is it really such a shock that I may want to spend time with you, Belladonna?”

You squinted at him, very aware that he only used that pet name when he was trying to woo someone, or in this case to bring your defenses down. And even though you knew he was up to something, you felt yourself give in. It’s been a long week and useless bickering wasn’t going to finish your report. 

“Do you want to join us or something?” You asked exasperatedly. 

“You’re inviting little old me?” Dazai asked with a dramatic gasp, a smile replacing his previous pout. “Oh I don’t know…”

“You’d have to ask Ranpo,” You grumbled, turning back to the half finished report. “And you have to pay for yourself.”

Little did you know, Ranpo was watching your entire interaction, a frown painting his features. He wasn’t sure why, but the thought of Dazai encroaching on your shared activity didn’t settle well. He was a selfish man, and you had become a treat all on your own. He wanted your attention on him, and although he knows it’s impossible for you to focus on him at all times, it didn’t stop him from wanting it. The thought was foreign to him, as he only really cared about the President’s praise or Yosano’s opinions, but you had managed to wiggle your way into his life and now he also cared about having your attention, praise, and opinions. 

When you had brought up Ranpo, Dazai looked over to said man, a pleased grin on the brown haired detective's lips. Ranpo’s frown grew, unsure why Dazai seemed so pleased. No way was he letting the lesser detective spoil his treats. 

“Oh Ranpo~” Dazai sang, only to be cut off.

“No.”

The sternness in Ranpo’s reply stunned you into tuning back into the situation. You watched in slight shock as Ranpo glared over at Dazai.

“You’re both so mean,” Dazai whined, but finally dropped the subject, sending you a smirk before returning to his desk. 

You glanced at Ranpo once more, only for him to have returned to his normal self, opening a bag of chips as if nothing unusual just happened. That was only the start to his unusual behavior towards you. You knew your doting on him would clue him in on your feelings, but you hadn’t expected him to reciprocate. Yes your agreement had started because you wanted to help people, but it had turned indulgent as you enjoyed your time with the detective. What you hadn’t expected was for it to become indulgent for him as well. 

The next sign was how the seemingly touch adverse man had turned into the clingiest motherfucker you had ever met. You didn’t mind until it started to intrude on your work. It started with small things, holding your hand as you walked the streets together, resting his head on your shoulder while you sat on the bus. Small things you could easily mistake as friendly (which you had), but the gestures started to blur some lines. Hugs that lasted longer than you could brush off, getting piggy back rides from you (if/when possible), cuddling with you on the break room couch when you both had a break. Dazai had found it his new goal in life to tease you as much as possible (it seemed that Yosano had taken up the same practice with Ranpo). Finally you both had breached gestures that clearly couldn’t be waved off as friendly. Ranpo had decided that the best seat in the office was your lap (you couldn’t suppress the embarrassment you felt as everyone in the office stared at you both), or how he’d insist you sleep over (you basically live in his dorm at this point).

The biggest sign of how Ranpo felt about you was when he offered you your favorite snack. Not only was it a snack, something he guards with his life, but it was your favorite, something he deemed worthy enough to know. Such a small gesture managed to warm your heart. There was only one problem…neither of you seemed to be able to open up about your feelings for the other. Your agreement had fizzled, as Ranpo settled for receiving your praises in exchange for his work, but you still would buy him an ice cream or some candy as a reward. 

The lines of your relationship continued to blur more and more. It wasn’t until finally Ranpo had introduced you as his partner, and no, not as a work partner. At first you became flustered, a label finally falling onto your relationship, and soon Ranpo had followed as he realized what he let slip. He thought of you both as together, and a wide grin adorned your face. Hoping to get through to him that it was okay as you wanted the same, you had pressed a kiss to his cheek…which only seemed to worsen his flustered state. 

At the end of the day…none of your co-workers were shocked. In fact, when Ranpo had declared your status to the office (much to your dismay), Dazai just had to quip, “Wait, you weren’t before?”

[the-music-maniac]

I think what drives me a little crazy (in a good way) about zosan as a ship is - ironically - that they're willing to do the worst possible thing, to sacrifice, for a necessary goal unrelated to their relationship. By that I mean that a common romance trope is an individual being willing to sacrifice the world, anything and anyone else, for their lover, and zosan is...not that. And for some reason that drives me more feral than that other romance trope ever possibly could. I find that more romantic than "I would burn the world for you" and I'll explain why.

The root of their specific willingness to sacrifice isn't a shortage of love or care by any means, but a complete trust and understanding of each other. To the absolute core of who they are. I'm going to refer specifically to that agreement between zosan (that I got spoiled on, so apologies if I get details wrong, I haven't gotten there in the story yet - ALSO spoiler warning if you haven't gotten to around Wano, so click away).

.

.

.

I'm referring to Sanji telling Zoro to kill him if he changes after his stint in Germa, and Zoro agreeing without need for an explanation, telling Sanji to survive until then - that is so fucking romantic to me, and people hold it up as proof that they don't care about each other but to me, it's anything but.

There is a burden of duty to being the wings of the pirate king, and they both take that responsibility seriously. They're both devoted to their captain and to their crew, and to the dreams of their crew. Zoro perhaps more outwardly unwaveringly so, but Sanji is devoted too, different from Zoro but equal in intensity. There are moments when you can TELL they're on the same wavelength, moments where Zoro gives a rare speech on the dynamics of their crew and Sanji is silent because he agrees. Sanji is terrified of hurting his found family, and he's terrified of becoming like his brothers and father. He loves his nakama and so he's willing to sacrifice his own life to prevent from turning into that type of monster.

Zoro is similar. He is willing to die for his nakama, and their dreams. They are in complete understanding of that point. Death itself is not something that scares either of them, there are some things that are worth the price. Potentially for different reasons ahem self worth issues ahem Sanji ahem but that's still something they both understand. Zoro would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat to save Sanji (he already has at Thriller bark), Sanji would do the same (again. Thriller bark), so it's not remotely because they don't care or love each other. They are absolutely willing to give all they are to keep each other from outside harm.

But what happens if the threat to the crew is Sanji himself?

Sanji asks Zoro to be the one to kill him, because Zoro is the only one on the crew who he trusts 100% to do so, to fulfill the promise, who understands. I personally think Luffy would try to save his nakama, even beyond what is possible, at his own detriment. The other crew members would probably do the same (then again I'm still not through the show so feel free to disagree with my interpretation).

But Zoro could do it if it came to that. It would be awful, and it would shatter and change him, irreversibly, heartbreakingly so - I don't agree with people who say Zoro would kill his nakama without hesitation and be fine with it out of loyalty to his captain, Zoro has a heart y'all and he loves his crew - but he could grit his teeth and do it if he realizes it is necessary, that there is no other option. Sanji trusts him to keep his word, to protect the rest of their family. Do you know how telling it is about the level of regard you have for your partner, to trust them to the point where you can easily place the well being of almost all you both treasure into their hands, once you realize you can't be the one to protect it anymore, and know without a shadow of a doubt that it'll be safe as long as it's with them? With knowing they're strong enough to accept the heavy burden of having your blood stain their hands for the rest of their life, the blame for your death on their shoulders, the shadow of you in every single thing they do, inescapable and marking every facet of their life forever? And to trust that they'll not only accept those consequences without hesitation because it's what you asked of them, but will also protect what you both treasure until their last breath, without you even needing to EXPLAIN that that's what you're asking to them to do, because it's the obvious, it's what you've both been doing all this time, it's something you both know so well that no words need to be exchanged, no reassurances need to be given.

And the implication of Sanji wanting Zoro to do this task too, of being okay dying by Zoro's hands because they're equals in every way. Especially since their fighting dynamic is mostly a competitive, I'm stronger than you, I'll never lose to someone as weak as you, blah blah. This is proof that that's not what Sanji and Zoro actually think of each other. Sanji knows that they could kill each other if either of them truly tried for one - wouldn't have asked Zoro to kill him otherwise. Sanji is also fine with Zoro being the one to defeat him. There is an inherent (kinda fucked up) romance to that notion. 'If I have to die, let it be by your hands.'

And on Zoro's part, there's an inherent fucked up romance to keeping your lover close forever because your fingers are stained with the necessity of their blood.

fUCK.

(here is a caveat that I'm viewing this in a scenario where Sanji and Zoro have established that they love each other and are potentially in a relationship. If it's before that you could also flavour it with Sanji's "I love him but I think it's unrequited, actually I think he may hate me, so it would hurt him the least to be the one to kill me" which is JUICY, but just for this post I'm viewing it where they've already established that they're valuable to each other, that they care)

How am I supposed to look at that and not fucking die. It's so much more nuanced and romantic to me personally than "I would burn the world for you" because that trope at its core is a selfish sort of protection. I can 100% see how people find it romantic, don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you if you like that trope, that's so valid. It's "I can't live without you" and "I would choose you above all others" which is romantic, but it's romantic in a different way. Depending on the characters, it's also, I would go to extremes to make sure you're alive, even if there's nothing else left after the carnage except for each other, even if everything else that makes life worth living has been destroyed for survival, and we can only ever rely on each other for the rest of time. I only care about you but not anything else you care about. I won't try to save it, even if you tell me to, even if you want me to, and won't forgive me for all I've done because I can't bear the burden of you not being alive and around anymore.

I get why it's compelling, but that trope could ignore (depending on how it's written) everything else that person could hold dear. Ignores potentially, the agency of the person being protected, a character who could have accepted the consequences and have not wanted the world to burn for their sake, who is strong enough for that burden. And true, maybe the character isn't like that, maybe they just want simply to live a life (valid of them, people are allowed to want happy endings for themselves), but my point is, it's a different archetype of romance for a different archetype of character, but it seems to be more accepted as a romantic trope then zosan's dynamic and I think it shouldn't be that way.

Zosan is the opposite. It suits their character type perfectly. For them, it's "there are things that are worth more than even you and me. I love you, knowing who you are and how you view the world and what other things you value. I love you everyday on purpose, not hopelessly or illogically or blindly, even knowing you may not always choose me. I'm willing to accept the pain of that, just to be next to you. The time we share isn't any less valuable for being fleeting and impermanent. I care about the things you care about and our lives are also worth living because of those things. It would tear me apart irreversibly to hurt you, but I would do it if you asked it of me, I would do it if that's what this life demands of us. I know you can protect what we both love, even if I'm not beside you. I respect your choices. In this, we understand each other perfectly."

THAT is my shit. That's the fucking deranged ass bs that has me staring at my ceiling at 3 am, pacing the floors at 6 in the morning, gnawing on conkcrete like a rabid dog. Brain rot brain rot brain rot.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

While "the network wants an episodic kids show, the authors want an epic dark complicated narrative" would explain A LOT about ML's problems, I'd still like to note that there are kids' shows that can do both, going full range from "mostly episodic with a sprinkle of narrative" (Kim Possible, MLP), to "heavily narrative but with episodic breather/filler episodes" (Gravity Falls, WITCH, the Owl House), with many variants in-between.

Even the transition from "fully episodic" to "more narratively-connected" that ML attempted to do can be done successfully - the aforementioned Gravity Falls and WITCH were more episodic in season 1 and more narratively driven in season 2.

However, I'd say there are a few other key problems that can be inferred from what we have:

The show tries too many things at once - as you have pointed out repeatedly. Magical girl and rom-com, single-hero, duo and team stories, wacky comedy and serious trauma, even trying to give several characters a redemption and a damnation arc at the same time (and failing with either). Apparently, it's not just TF vs writers: it's writers severely disagreeing with each other (see Thomas and Vincent's opinions on Chloe), and also trying to one-up the fans. Also, simply thinking too much of the work, which leads us to...

ML's total lack of self-awareness. Another famous case of a show that was almost entirely episodic is Phineas and Ferb. They use the same formula (the brothers build, Candace busts, Doof makes an Inator and is thwarted by Perry) over and over for four seasons. And by mid-season 1, the authors have been making fun of the structure, lampshading it, spoofing and twisting it, playing with "What if" episodes and never taking itself too seriously. When ML tries to be self-aware, it becomes either insulting to the fans (Animaestro), horrifically dark (Chat Blanc) or plain cringe (Simpleman). This is exacerbated by Astruc's arrogance and inability to ignore critics.

Is it possible to make a highly complex, genre-busting, yet kid-friendly story and succeed? Yes. But it needs to be better thought-out - if not from the start, then at the moment the network allows one to deviate from the formula.

And if all else fails and the story becomes too complicated and too repetitive at the same time... Well, self-awareness and the ability to make fun of one's own work can turn a sad mess into a hilariously fun disaster.

P. S. Love your posts as always, you are the main reason I'm still in the fandom!

Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad that you're enjoying my stuff and I agree with all the things you brought up.

A big part of the reason that Miraculous is so fascinating to me is that there ISN'T a single cause of the issues. There are so many valid ways to discuss the show's problems. It's a masterclass in bad writing and what not to do!

It's why I'm able to run this blog. If it was as simple as, "here's the single reason why it's bad and here's how you fix that" or if the show never had any potential, then there wouldn't be much to talk about. But it did have potential and there is no single reason why it's bad. The causes are multitudinous as are the potential fixes! It feels like investigating some complex wreckage or an elaborate murder mystery in order to understand what the hell happened, which is really fun if you like talking about writing.

I find it much harder to discuss writing in an informative way if you only have good examples to draw from because that path risks stifling creativity. Just because a popular story did a thing well doesn't mean that story showed us the only way to do the things or even the best way to do the thing, but that's often the lesson people seem to learn. They see a thing that they like or even just a thing that audiences liked and want to copy it without understanding the full nuance of why they liked it.

A great example of this is Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender. He was such a well-written and popular character that all these properties started copying him even though the properties in question did NOT have a setup that worked for a Zuko. Praising Zuko won't really tell you all the ways that Zuko could have failed. Meanwhile, a case study of Chloe vs Zuko or even just a general discussion of Chloe lets you actually talk about the various styles of redemption arc and what you have to do to make them feel real. It's also far more interesting than talking how Zuko could have failed because Zuko didn't fail so why are we even talking about this? It's also far more interesting than talking about a bunch of properties that did redemption arcs well because that would require you to have seen all of those properties. But Chloe is from a single property and she did fail and people understandably have wildly different feelings about what the failure was because the writing was so bad, which means that digging into her writing is way more likely to hold your interest and teach you something.

This gif really does sum it up perfectly:

[Image description: scene from the movie Knives Out where the detective Benoit Blanc exclaims "It makes no damn sense! It compels me though" to explain his feelings on an ongoing murder mystery that he's trying to solve]

As does the old adage, "failure is the greatest teacher." Of course, no one ever said that it had to be your failure!

[missycolorful]

I'm on the fence about a lot of the "glass child" discussion because where I agree with some points that are made and enjoy the in depth analysis, I've come to severely disagree with others. Mostly because the internet is the internet, and the nuanced discussion has lost that nuance.

The reason this whole thing blew up (though it's been a concern for a while, certainly) was when Phil explained why he felt he needed to save Tallulah first before Chayanne. And you could tell Philza was trending cautious waters with his wording - he never wanted to say "oh, Chayanne's a chad, he'll get over it." With his wording, he recognized that neither were necessarily fine, but he still felt it necessary to prioritize one over the other because of one of his kid's big issues: Tallulah has abandonment issues. Maybe they're not as bad now since the "official adoption," but it certainly shouldn't be disregarded. But Phil remembers how much Tallulah hates being left alone, and wanted to make sure she wasn't in that situation long. Phil knew at the of the day, that Chayanne had no severe abandonment issues (that we are aware of), hence him saying he'd be okay "a bit longer." The prioritization is still there, and the Death family still has much to talk about, but the fandom's reactions felt a bit too... harsh, a bit too severe. They'd make it sound like Phil didn't consider Chayanne's feelings at all or that he thought Chayanne was totally going to be 100% okay with being alone forever and ever. When there's more to it than that, and ultimately, Phil was stuck making a decision in a lose-lose situation, and he knew that.

But a lot of people seem to focus solely on this moment, and let it epitomize the entirety of the Death Family's relationship and struggles. When, if anything, there's additional moments from yesterday's stream alone that I think show some slow growth in Philza's parenting when it comes to him being overprotective of Tallulah and him expecting a protector/warrior out of Chayanne.

Because if Phil really thought Chayanne was a ruthless warrior who can handle anything and be fine and get over it, he'd have let Chayanne immediately join them in their journey of saving Richarlyson. Like "If we've got Chayanne with us, nothing can hold us back" or something. But he didn't. He wanted both of his children to stay back, to stay safe. But his kids insisted on joining, even if just for emotional support. And if Phil really was completely stuck in his old ways, he'd say the old "Chayanne protect your sister" when the mobs starting showing up, or hell, even before that. But that never once happens. Both of his kids fight, and he trusted that they could both handle themselves since they insisted on coming along, though you can see him check on both of his kids once or twice during the fight. If this becomes a persistent thing, it shows great growth in Phil's character when it comes to being overprotective of his daughter and having his son prioritize her safety above all else. It's become more of "keep an eye on each other," which is definitely the preferrable kind of thinking!

And again, I emphasize that singular moments should not be the sole focus of these discussion. Rather, the overall actions throughout should be talked about. And honestly, Phil made sure that a lot of his focus was divided between both of his children throughout yesterday. When Chayanne decided to stay behind while the others went to the beach event to keep an eye on an AFK Tubbo, Phil decided to "hang about with you, kid, it's alright," even when Tallulah was long gone. Like, he wasn't going to let his kid sit alone like that waiting! Or when he got the llama plushie during the treasure hunt, I'd honestly have expected him to immediately give it to Tallulah because animals=Tallulah, I guess. But he asked them both which of them would have liked it more, a genuine attempt to make sure neither felt left out in receiving the gift. Yes, these, too, are small moments, but if we wanna have a discussion about these relationships, all these moments should at least be considered, not just the negatives.

And to me, the kind of consensus to make in these scenarios is that the situation at hand is... complicated. Like, Phil's parenting is flawed, I'd be a fool to say otherwise. All parenting is inherently flawed, that's basic psychology or... just how humans work. However, through his faults, he tries everything he is able to to do best by these kids. So, with all these moments and more, it never sat right with me to say Phil neglects Chayanne. I can almost see the case for "emotional neglect" a bit more, but even then, I find some fault in that thinking. Yes, qPhil is neurodivergent af, so he doesn't get emotional context clues and needs these discussion to be upfront in his face (which I already went into depth here regarding the relationship these two have). Put simply, any "emotional neglect" Chayanne feels isn't necessarily from Phil prioritizing Tallulah, but more so where Tallulah is more open with her feelings which makes it easier for Phil to talk to her about them, Chayanne has rarely ever been someone who opens up about feelings, and when you couple that with Phil's lack of emotional intelligence, these issues clash. However, it's important to note that a while ago, Chayanne had an open dialogue with Philza about Tubbo's death and how it affected him, and Phil was responsive to it. It'd be one thing if he told Chay to get over it, but no, he was very honest and kind to Chayanne during their talk. And afterward, Phil suggested for Chayanne that, if he ever needs to talk, to have them sit at the pier outside of their house. He extended an offering to Chayanne for emotional discussions. It was a great way for both of these people who are terrible at talking about their emotions to come together and talk. It highlights how Phil is very much okay with talking to Chayanne on an emotional level, and he has, and he will continue to be. They're just... both bad at it, sadly.

Finally, I think it's important to clarify what a glass child actually is, and if it fits the current narrative. A glass child is a child who is overlooked when their sibling is facing some sort of disability that makes the parent give the sibling their full attention, and often has the glass child help out a lot. Initially, Tallulah very much needed extra care due to her "asthma" and the fact she wasn't a great fighter who could protect herself. Hence why Phil and Chayanne were so overprotective of her and put a lot of focus on her. And for the longest time, Chayanne was okay with it, because she needed that help to survive on this hellish island. It's just that over time, things changed. These characters changed.

So it's not really like that for Tallulah now, is it? Her asthma is no longer as bad (it still happens, though!), and she's gained a lot of fighting experience over time. She can hold her own in a fight. And Phil no longer keeps that much of a paranoid eye on her; i.e. again, yesterday's stream where, even when they were fighting end monsters, he never shouted for her to get away or for Chayanne to protect her. In the early days, if Tallulah was even allowed to join, he'd have her stand back and ask Chayanne to keep an eye on her. But that doesn't happen here.

So nowadays? No, I don't think Chayanne could be considered a glass child. Because those disabilities aren't as much of a hindrance for Tallulah as they used to, and Phil isn't as paranoid about them as before. I think the effects are still there, in a way, but it doesn't fit where the characters currently stand. Ultimately, I think there are several reasons as to why things are as they are even if Chayanne may not be a glass child in the present. The big one being that Phil's not entirely adapted to the changes his children have gone through.

Especially after Purgatory, his children have gone through a lot and changed in the process; Tallulah became more independent, and Chayanne kind of being tired of being a warrior and needing more emotional support. And since he wasn't there to witness that change and only saw the aftermath, I think it's a struggle for him to come to terms with them. However, that doesn't mean he's entirely set in old ways. He's trained Tallulah on PVP, and again, he's allowed her to participate in fights without being super worried. And as I mentioned, he has extended a branch for Chayanne to be more open with his feelings. These are just starts, certainly, but it means that Phil is open to adapting and helping both of his kids in any way they need. He just has to figure out what they need.

And let me be clear: I'm not disregarding the flaws in q!Phil's parenting. They exist, and Chayanne really needs to have an open discussion about how his emotional needs haven't quite been met as of recent, and Phil needs to be more open to have emotional discussions with Chayanne, even if to them, that's like pulling teeth. There's changes and improvements that need to be made. However, in talking about the negatives, it just seems like people think that's all there is. No, these flaws in Phil's parenting doesn't make him a bad parent. Because there are plenty of positives, plenty of decent growth here. There's love and respect and everything in this family. q!Phil is genuinely doing his best in a very difficult scenario: living on an island that is set on killing the eggs, and being a parent of two while basically being a single parent all while struggling with your own traumas. that's going to come with obstacles, it's inevitable, but what's also inevitable is how this family will work through them, and come out of this better than before.

[body-face-words]

Michael Sheen and David Tennant BBC The One Show Interview - Body Language Analysis

The atmosphere was already off before Michael and David appeared.

Above is Zoey and Nicole. They both have they legs crossed, but Zoeys legs are tightly pressed together, away from Nicole.

Michael and David walk in, Zoey and Nicole stay the same. David begins to get comfortable and lean back. Nicole rests her elbow on the couch, observing them. Zoey stays the same and Michael sits up straight. Zoey and Michael barely change the way they're sitting throughout the whole interview.

Zoeys and Nicoles body language is closed - crossed legs and arms in front of them - gives off an unwelcoming vibe. But like established, they were already like that before M and D appeared.

Zoey leaning back with her elbow resting on the couch could mean 3 things.

1: she's trying to see Michael and David.

2: reason 1 combined with feeling superior.

When someone sits like that, they feel or are trying to be seen like the boss. "This is my territory." But with her right arm across from herself, she's putting up a shield.

Zoey stays the same with her legs tightly pressed together. She doesn't want her personal space evaded, or she doesn't want to evade someone else's space.

Michael and Zoey are sitting close to each other. That'd why they're both sitting up straight. Not wanting to cross the other. But Michael could easily lean more towards David, however if there was already tension before he went in, Michael could've picked up on that and took a more defensive posture. Leaning back or towards David would make him more open/vulnerable. People usually do this unconscious. Michael is uncomfortable, he's not going to lay back.

David is more physically relaxed. He changes the way he sits throughout the interview and he also takes up more space. Leaning back in either direction, spreading his legs, crossing them, and repositioning himself. He tends to move around in most interviews.

When one of the hosts says "they've clicked" Michael nods - agreeing and feeling what she said is true. David smiles a genuine smile. Eyes become small, corner of the lips are pointed upwards. When David truly smiles, he tends to show his teeth. Michaels cheek bones become more prominent and a soft expression appears.

Davids face is just funny here. Utter unpleasant surprise. Eyebrows raises, eyes slightly more open, stiff face, and frozen "smile". He's not too sure what they're about to show.

Almost 5 minutes in and none of them have changed how they're sitting.

"Slinky hips" Michaels, when he says this, instantly snaps his head to see Davids reaction - which was what he's expecting. David laughs a sincere laugh.

Nicole is asked how he got into acting. While answering, Zoey sways from side to aide, staring off, restless. Could be she disassociated or went into her own head for a few seconds. Then she stops swaying and listens to Nicole more actively.

The host says "it has been such a fun show". Zoey disagrees. Eyebrows raises, eyes half open, and horizontal smile. She thinks that's false. "Uh huh, right. Whatever you say..."

David says something (probably a joke) then looks off to the side (maybe someone off camera). He decides to ignore the comment, most likely consciously. Michael just smiles and says nothing.

Some few words are exchanged and the video ends. They have not changed the way they sat throughout the almost 15 minutes of interview. Nicole is away from Zoey with her arms as barriers. Michael said something, joking around, and Zoey joined in but before this she had her arms on her knee. Michaels legs stayed the same and David, like the rest of the interview, continued to move around.

Something quick I want to add: when David leans away from Michael, his left arm was back and his hands were close to Michael. His left arm is not across him. It's back exposing himself, unlike Nicole that would put her entire arm in front of her, creating a wall between herself and Zoey.

Michaels had his ankles crossed + covering his genitals, protecting himself. This also means the person is closed off and not open. Not very welcoming. He would genuinely smile and laugh, but he still felt unsafe. Never did he truly and HONESTLY relax. Michaels defensiveness, from what I gathered, was due to how Zoey and Nicole were acting. He was closer to them than David. He could probably feel the uneasiness from Zoey.

Zoey the few times she spoke played herself down. The whole interview, even before Michael and David walked in, back straight, legs crossed tightly, and her arms in front with her hands grabbing her left knee. She did not move at all. She was uncomfortable, which in turn made her closed off, the entire time.

Nicole would observe and her body language was one of superiority. Chin up + leaning back. "This is my space." "I'm more important." To observe, she would tux her chin slightly in, and when it was her time to speak, she would go back to normal or stick her chin up.

David, from what I've notice, has his chin up most, if not, all of the time. It's his default (someone who doesn't know him might take this as aggressive. However, when David IS being aggressive, he sticks his chin up, and up, and up. "Come at me bro!"). He would change positions a lot. Right leg over left leg, left leg over right leg, legs opened, ankle of his leg, leaning towards and away from Michael.

Conclusion: Zoey and Nicole were not comfortable with each other. Nicole giving off, whether she meant it/truly felt like that or not, an air of superiority, and Zoey not vibing with that basically.

Michael felt the tension. People can read up facial expressions and body language, without knowing anything about it. If you notice/feel someone is closed off, chances are you're going to also be closed and uncomfortable because you can't just be. IF Michael consciously or unconsciously notice Zoey and Nicole and their tension, that could've caused his uneasiness. Michael would laugh, in a controlled way, looking down, or looking at David.

David, being further away, could relax a bit more. Michael was the wall between himself and Zoey/Nicole. David was a lot louder than Michael. He used his arms and hands to express himself more and laughed without limiting himself.

When the interview was ending, Michael AND Zoey both relaxed a bit and moved their arms around.

That's what I picked up on! Please let me know if I missed anything!

[freak-attorney]

Random Ace Attorney headcanons!!! :D

Feel free to leave ur own in the notes or if u agree/disagree!!

(Also please keep in mind that I'm basing these off of the first trilogy since that it all I've played so far!)

Feel free to ask/request any other specific headcanons from me :D

Phoenix Wright

Barely passed the LSAT

Used to have panic attacks in court (is now in therapy)

Always has a hair tie for Maya

Has learned how to do Pearl's hair for her

Filipino/American

Chronically online

Finds millennial humor funny

ADHD undiagnosed

Bisexual

His hair ALWAYS has traces of gel in it

He's a dog person but loves cats

His suit is always a bit wrinkled

Survives on red bull and microwave dinners

*finger guns*

Love language is physical touch and acts of service

Falls asleep at his desk every night during a case

Needs 5+ alarms to wake up in the morning

Uses concealer to hide his eye bags

Doesn't floss

Sleeps like a starfish

Has sweat stains on several shirts

Naturally wavy hair but he straightens it

Miles Edgeworth

Always hours early to a case because he's very anxious about being late

Sometimes wishes he had a different career (outside of law) but never even considered it an option until recently

Very argumentative over silly things, eventually apologizes with a small gift or note

Love language is gift giving

Enjoys parallel play.. like he enjoys just having someone in his office while he's working even though he doesn't acknowledge them

Has good stamina from always using stairs over elevators

Can cook very well, enjoys cooking for others

Autistic (late diagnosed)

Has a collection of fidget toys that only a few people know about

Chronically OFFline

Enjoys animal crossing and other peaceful games

Has excellent hygiene

Started dying his hair grey as soon as he found one strand of grey hair

Makes a photo album for Franziska for her birthday each year

Has a blanket that he's slept with for 10+ years

Keeps every trinket that Pearl or Maya might give him

Has fresh clothes and toiletries at the office in case he sleeps there

Prefers gold over silver

Is a cat person but is okay with dogs (he thinks dogs are messy)

Has an ironing board in the wall of his office

Probably gay or somewhere on the aroace spectrum

Wears a full face of makeup to court (gatekeeps his sweat proof foundation)

Sleeps curled up in one corner of his bed

Maya Fey

Loves to do cartwheels (can't actually do a proper cartwheel)

Tries learning Japanese on DuoLingo (can't keep more than a 5 day streak)

Taught Pearl basically everything she knows

Love language is quality time

Is very good at rhythm games

Has "childish" interests like Sailor Moon, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, etc.

Enjoys older arcade games like Galaga, Frogger, and Mappy

Wanted to be a veterinarian at some point but is a bit too squeamish for that

Is ALWAYS late even if she plans to be early

Sleeps with a night light

Has a collection of rocks that Pearl gave her growing up

Loves abstract art

Hugs very tightly

Since Mia's death her last words to anyone close to her when they separate for any amount of time is "I love you" just in case

Is naturally unorganized but started keeping a planner when she started working with Phoenix... she sometimes forgets the planner exists but she TRIES okay??

Dick Gumshoe

Love language is gift giving and acts of service for SURE

Would gladly give someone his umbrella in the rain knowing he'd get soaked

Doesn't know how to cook because he doesn't have the resources but he'd like to learn

Forgot to put water in his ramen once and almost burned his apartment down

Doesn't always shower because his water gets cut off

Smells pretty rank but Edgeworth gifts him nice body sprays sometimes

Always makes sure Edgeworth is up at a reasonable time for a case/trial even though he really doesn't need to

Always chewing gum

Dream car is a Jeep Wrangler

Demiromantic

Memorizes little details about people to give them good birthday/holiday gifts

Gets very excited about fortune cookies

Loves buffets

Gives the BEST hugs

Is scared of thunderstorms and terrified of hurricanes

Really appreciates small gifts like keychains or trinkets

Lets Maya and Pearl paint his nails

Has really large and calloused hands

Sleeps all snuggled up hugging a pillow

Used to collect magnifying glasses

Bites on his pencils/pens

Franziska Von Karma

Sapphic.

She wears press ons

Stalks the social media accounts of her clients

Sleeps in a grandma nightgown

Has two planners: one physical and one on her phone

Really wants a pet rabbit

Has so many decorative pillows on her bed and arranges them every morning

Hits people next to her when she laughs

Quietly gives gifts for holidays/birthdays without making it a big deal

Casually gives super expensive gifts

Plays Genshin

Forces Edgeworth to watch reality TV with her (Say Yes to the Dress, My Strange Addiction, ANTM, Jersey Shore)

Really likes horror movies but can't handle too much gore

Classically trained in ballet

Enjoys photography

Watches the Kentucky Derby every year

Basically raised Miles when Manfred didn't

Knows how to sew but doesn't have the time

Collects Monster High dolls

Likes dogs but LOVES cats

Finds dumb people really attractive

Needs complete silence when doing paperwork or she can't concentrate

Autistic (undiagnosed)

Doesn't plan on ever getting married

Probably one of the only characters that gets proper sleep

Prefers pleated skirts over pencil but wears them in court to look professional

Hates the texture of chiffon fabric

Always wearing a different pair of earrings

Has a couple small tattoos but covers them well

Has the sharpest eyeliner known to man

Fluent in a few languages including Mandarin Chinese, French, and Italian

That's all for now!!

[decolonize-the-everything]

calling lesbians who aren't okay with "trans men lesbians" radfems is weird as hell when "trans men are just confused lesbians" IS a widespread radfem stance. if you support them whatever but it's disingenuous to act like lesbians who don't want to date trans men are radfems for that

I think policing relationships and gender and such in the queer community is genuinely one of the worst things that's happened to us in the last 20 years.

I think if you're attracted to someone or not then ok? That's it. Period.

Who cares how they identify or the words they use?

"lesbophobia"

Give me a fucking break. Show me the trans man killing lesbians. Trying to get lesbian relationships to be criminalized? To have them removed from the queer community?

You can't. Because it's not trans men doing that. It's TERFs.

"they're invading our spaces!"

Oh like a hypothetical evil cis man would invade a bathroom by pretending to be a woman?

I said radfem-lite lite for a reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We made up a bunch of rules for how the Other person you're attracted to identifies and then moralized it and made DNIs and started calling queer people"-phobic" based on Your own ideas of gender/relationships (good job creating a more inclusive shitty binary with rules btw) and acting like everyone who doesn't agree with Your rules and ideas is some queerphobic enemy is fucking wild.

The whole point of queerness is simply that we aren't allo cishets. That we're different. And it's something we ALL experience so we're supposed to be understanding. That sometimes people WONT have the same concept of gender as you, the same rules and that's okay. We are a community because understand each other on that. We agree and have that solidarity because we ALL experience this from people who believe that binary can NOT allow for trans people or queer relationships.

I will literally Never ever agree with anyone who disagrees any of this. They're no ally of mine or the queer community. You are wildly accepting of your siblings or you have some queerphobia to work on.

Believe whatever the hell you want but to say Specific queer people are "invading" your space is also just fucking ahistorical. For a long time lesbian was the only word even used if you presented as a woman and liked people who presented as women. Did you know that? Who cares if you were a man or woman or trans or a gender?

If you feel like how someone ELSE identifies undermines your own identity then welcome to the Same Exact reason that homophobic and transphobic straights are homophobic and transphobic!!

We make them question gender and relationships in ways that make them uncomfortable. That make them question their own relationship to gender itself. And nobody is supposed to do that. You're supposed to follow the rules. Girls aren't supposed to kiss girls. And nobody is supposed to want to transition.

And so just like we tell them, I will tell you: if there is no harm being done, then there's no foul. Mind your own business instead of worrying about someone else's.

Some lesbians having the same struggle to accept this as allo cishets do, does not mean that they are being attacked and persecuted by trans man lesbians anymore than cishet women are being persecuted by fake trans people.

Can we please be over this now?

We get enough shit from straight people trying to regulate gender, we truly do not need reinvent the same fucking dynamic in our own community.

[froizetta]

WIP Wednesday: Procrastination Edition

I told myself I'd work on (Love) Triangles this week, but instead I decided to impulsively write most of a borderline-crack superbatlantern fic. I guess that's just where my life is right now.

Excerpt below from the first scene, in which Hal and friends discuss their suspicion that Superman and Batman are fucking. (NB: It's just Hal, no-one else really believes this. (He's totally right though.))

“So what is up with them? They having another fight or something?”

“A ‘strategic disagreement’, Batman would probably say,” Barry said. “But yeah. A big fight, about plans for the upcoming mission. Superman was doing the whole paternalistic disapproval thing where he was really mad but trying not to act like it. And Batman was being all snarly and growly and throwing insults at him. It was, uh. A little more vicious than normal, maybe.”

“Yeah,” Hal agreed. “And they kind of looked like they wanted to kiss the whole time.”

Barry turned to him, mouth agape. “Dude.”

“What! I just say it like I see it! Is that so wrong?”

“You keep bringing it up! Why are you so obsessed with this?”

“I’m not obsessed,” he corrected with a frown. “Like sure, it’d be hot and all—” at this Barry made a face of mild revulsion “—but it’s not about what I want. I just don’t get how you don’t see it.” He looked consideringly between Ollie and Barry. “Maybe it’s just straight guys being oblivious? Dinah gets it.”

Barry, for reasons Hal couldn’t parse, looked deeply offended by this. Dinah just shrugged. “I mean, I guess I see it, yeah. Although maybe I’m biased? Bruce’s yelling-at-Superman voice sounds a lot like his sex voice.”

“Oh my god,” said Hal, delighted, just as Barry said the same thing with a tinge of horror. Which Hal didn’t get at all; this was fucking gold.

“I keep forgetting you actually slept with Spooky,” Hal went on, leaning forward conspiratorially. “What was it like? Let me guess: weird and intense, like everything else he does? Ooh! Did he try to suck your blood at any point, or is that something he saves for the fainting damsels he takes to his castle?”

She smiled. “Sorry, Hal. I can’t tell you or Ollie will get weird about it.”

“It’s fine, pretty bird,” said Ollie, “tell them whatever you like! As long as you also tell me later. Privately.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She jerked a thumb towards him. “See? Weird.”

“Aw, c’mon, Di! Look I’ll give you my cell number so you can just text it to me later. Ollie doesn’t have to know.”

“I definitely have to know,” Ollie corrected, eyebrows still waggling.

At that, Barry, who’d been looking increasingly uncomfortable throughout the whole conversation, finally snapped. “Ugh. What are we even talking about right now? Can we just move on, please?”

“Oh shit, Bar,” Hal said, “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you’re a prude.”

“Jesus, Hal— It’s not prudish to not want to talk about our coworkers’ sex lives! Coworkers I respect. If anything, you guys are way too comfortable with it.”

Hal leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “I mean at this point, it’s not about the sex stuff for me so much as it’s a point of pride. They’re just so obviously horny for each other. I feel like everyone except Dinah is gaslighting me.”

“We’ve been over this, Hal,” Barry said tiredly. “People disagreeing with you isn’t gaslighting.”

“Whatever. Point is, I can’t move on with my life until I know for sure if I’m right or not.”

“You could, though, is the thing,” Barry said, now with an edge of desperation. “You could definitely move on. You could move on so easily.”

Ollie was watching this exchange with amusement. “So what, Hal, you wanna bet on it or something? Because I’d take those odds in a heartbeat.”

Hal snapped his fingers and threw him a triumphant grin. “Now you mention it? Yeah. A bet sounds like a great idea. You always have such great ideas. Have I ever told you you’re my favorite?”

Ollie grinned back. “Not often enough, I think.”

Dinah looked between them, frowning. “And how the hell are you ever gonna settle this either way? You’re gonna sneak up on Superman and Batman and catch them in the act? You?”

“What are you doubting me for?” Hal said, rising to his feet. “I’m the motherfucking Green Lantern. I’ll figure something out.” He held out his hand. “You’re on, Ollie. Fifty bucks says they’re doing the nasty on the reg.”

“Fifty?! That’s chump change. How about 500?”

Hal, who had $150 in his bank account last he checked, shrugged. “You can pay me that if I win, if that’s more interesting for you. But I’m still only paying you fifty if you win. We can’t all be billionaires.”

“Fine! Fifty,” Ollie said and clasped his hand in a firm handshake. “Actually, you know what? If it turns out they’re making out right now, I’ll actually give you that full 500 for free. How’s that?”

“This is so deeply inappropriate,” Barry muttered.

[arogustus]

Splatband Analysis - Bottom Feeders

(Disclaimer: This analysis in based on what I get out of looking into the character descriptions we have of the splatband characters. If you disagree with what I say, that is fine, we are all beheld to our opinions. Just don’t be a jerk about it.)

From my favorite band to their dedicated rivals, the Bottom Feeders. Like Ink Theory, they too got a fair amount of art to them, including a White Day art piece that shows them hanging out with other bands and shows off some character details. Be prepared to see that pop up a lot, considering the fact it contains three bands in total. 

Starting off with the band wide analysis, they’re all stated to be from outside of Inkadia, somewhere up north. The celtic rock and some of their fashion choices make it pretty clear they’re from the Splatoon equivalent of Scotland. They seem to have moved into Inkopolis at some point before their Turf War debut, as a lot of info we get from them gives the impression that they live there, or at the very least spend extensive amounts of time in the area. They also have their own record label to stay independent.

The band is a chaotic bunch. They’ve nearly broken up multiple times (mostly due to Finn), their performances vary based on their mood, and considering the White Day artwork, physical fights amongst each other is common enough that no one is really interested in stopping them. Still, they’ve toughed it out together to the point they’re evidently still together by Splatoon 3, so despite their fighting, they do try to stick together. And also have the same last name? (Bottom in Japanese, Feeder in English.) It’s most likely to be a shared pseudonym they took up for band reasons. Or, considering the Scottish influence, a clan name? Needs more research in this area.

Finn and Tangle are the stars of the show here, getting some pretty meaty descriptions compared to Jawn, Blow and Muruta. The two are clearly the driving forces behind the band, with the rest simply being along for the ride for their own entertainment. At least it seems their rivalry with Ink Theory is something they agree on, as their performance in ZAPP Square was made particularly electrifying when they performed against each other. 

Finn 

Finn is a tropical betta fish, and their description embodies much about the species to a T. They’re stubborn, they butt heads constantly with their bandmates to the point the band has nearly dissolved, is willing to outright fight them as seen in the White Day artwork (Tangle is the main victim, but Muruta is also unconscious), and is the main instigator of the Ink Theory/Bottom Feeder rivalry (Both bands use traditional instruments to bring attention to more classic genres, which they seem to view as infringement on their territory.) The betta fish is notoriously aggressive and territorial, so it all matches. Curiously, Beika’s tweets imply they’re female despite having traits of a male betta (in fact, the behavior I mentioned is specifically in regards to them). Maybe they’re trans, or fem presenting? Or maybe Beika is wrong. I’m sticking to they/them until we get some more official sounding confirmation.

Despite this aggression, they do have some positives. their motivation is to bring attention to traditional styles of music to the world, so it's something they care about deeply. Despite all the mentions of the band nearly dissolving, it still exists in Splatoon 3. In fact, they actually have a collaboration with recently debuted band Riot Act in the song No Plan Survives (Kikura seems to have stolen Beika’s idea for the collaboration), which implies that, for all their aggressive tendencies, they’re fully capable of getting along with other people. The Splatoon Twitter itself states they came together harmoniously despite mostly doing their own thing. 

Tangle

Tangle, the seaweed man himself. Currently the only sapient algae we have in the series, with everyone else being a sapient animal. He’s quite the oddity to even himself, since learning that he talks via the strings of his body rubbing together came as a surprise to him. Stuff like that isn’t focused on, but it’s not the first time a splatband character with some oddity to them went uncommented (Kagi’s skin color, Namida’s disconnected eyemask), so who knows if his nature as a sentient algae is also considered unusual in the world.

Onto personality, he’s described as a rebellious young man (does that make him younger than his fellow bandmates?) who’s dissatisfied with the state of the music scene. He thinks the music of the time has gotten voguish (read:Popular and mainstream), and wants a return to more straightforward styles. A commonality between him and Finn, it must be how the band was formed, considering they’re the two with the strong feelings about music, and him being the leader. Not that the others seem to like him that much. They consider his songwriting to be terrible and are apparently pretty harsh about it, something we will never be able to hear for ourselves since we can only hear funky squid (or seaweed in this case) sounds. At least he really enjoys singing in general, since the exciting avenue he discovered from learning how he talks is that he can sing out of his feet. What would that sound like?

Also Finn is fighting him in the White Day artwork. And judging by the others' reaction to them (read:ignoring it), this is a common occurrence. 

Blow Bottom

Blow, along with Jawn and Muruta, got stuck with the short descriptions. Finn and Tangle are clearly our main characters of this band, but it doesn’t mean there’s nothing much to pick out from what we got. Like his fellows, he doesn’t particularly care about the band’s sound, he’s just here to have fun. Considering the utterly exhausted and apathetic look he’s giving to Finn and Tangle’s little spat in the White Day artwork gives the feeling he simply finds the unnecessary drama exhausting, like it’s not at all worth his time. Being a dad must do that to a person. Speaking of, he’s a dad (DILF Material certified), specifically to an only daughter. He cares about her a lot. 

He’s also part of a rainmaker team with Ryu Chang and Kuze, Underpass Bass Drum. He plays it in his free time, though according to a little tidbit regarding the event in the Deepsea Metro called the Low Water Party, a rave where several people are implied to have died… anyway, the team showed up to the event and apparently performed (one of them played double bass, no mention who it was), so they evidently do music together too. No word outside of that on what their relationship is, but it seems they get on well enough to perform together.

Jawn Bottom

I can’t tell if the two dots are his eyes or his nostrils… anyway, Jawn doesn’t care much for the music and is more in it for the fun than anything. Likes motorcycles and meat, a real manly man here. But he’s apparently fine playing games with kids, he’s seen playing chess with Paul in the White Day artwork while completely ignoring the fight happening right next to them. Though judging by the sweating, he wasn’t expecting to be losing so hard. 

Muruta Bottom

Muruta is in it for the fun over the ideology of music Tangle and Finn espouse. He likes cute girls. Not much to pick out from that, but the White Day artwork has something interesting. See there in the corner, blurry and super close up? That’s Muruta, unconscious, implying he got involved in the fight between Finn and Tangle. Hard to say why he’d be there, but the best guess is he tried to break them up. Those two seem the most likely to be at odds with each other, so it would make sense the reason for his knockout is he tried to get involved to stop them but got knocked out.

—

That’s the Bottom Feeders done. Now, just to answer this, I’m all over the place when it comes to using their names because I have my preferences. Sometimes the english localized names are actually good in my eyes. I just pick and choose which ones I like. Anyway, see you next band!

[bestfriend491]

Super Powers

| Made From Request 2

Okoye x Female Reader

Summary: Okoye doesn't smile for anyone, so everyone wants to know what super powers you have that make Okoye change completely.

Author's Note: I kind of came to the conclusion that this work is in the same universe as Hateful Love, because of the writing style. But the two stories aren't related for the most part. Just read it if you enjoyed Hateful love. 

Word Count: 3.5k Fluff Warnings: None

Dedicated to : @hyperf1xate-much because guess what? That one very short convo we had about this ended up being the only reason I decided to finally make it. So everybody say thank you, Mayari!!! 🫶🏾😌

Joy and Happiness are two different things. 

Though frequently used interchangeably, they are both defined as different states of emotions. Hosting many differences in how they might appear in someone. 

Happiness is an emotion that is often outwardly portrayed as a feeling of absolute elation. 

It's often felt before, during or after one has had an earthly experience, or when someone has acquired a material object of their desire. 

It is that feeling that one gets when something good has happened, or is about to happen. 

It is the one thing that many people spend their entire lives trying to attain. It's the thing that most people believe will make them feel whole for once. 

People chase hopeless opportunities in the name of finding happiness. 

The only problem is that they don't know the truth about it. 

They don't know that happiness isn't everything that it's talked up to be. 

It is brief. 

And it is fragile. 

It is as easy to lose as it is to gain. 

It can pamper you with gifts and warm feelings one moment and strip you bare the next. 

If Happiness is a state of being, then joy is an existential being. She can't be seen but when found, she remains loyal for as long as one will have her. 

Happiness is nothing like Joy. 

Joy is peace and contentment. She connects you with your internal self. Diving into the deep crevasses of one's soul to find all the good in their life. 

Joy doesn't give out fake promises. When she announces her presence, she promises to stay forever. 

Joy is nothing like happiness. 

Because if happiness is the end goal, joy is the result of an entire healing journey. She is an eternal feeling.

Joy can be channelled into one person. one thing. It can be placed into the heart of someone and hidden from the rest of the world. 

Joy is the underdog of emotions. She is not given the respect that she deserves. 

Instead she is grouped in the same category as Happiness. 

Because to the common person, they are one in the same. 

At least, that’s how Kabia felt about it. 

To her, if you could find happiness, you could find joy. It was all an interconnected chain of reactions to her. 

Raneah, her close companion, felt very different about it.  She was an existential thinker after all. 

She thought about those slight differences between both words. The details that changed the entire meaning of them. 

She was a lot more in her head than Kabia was. 

Her daydreaming, however, didn't stand a chance against the last addition to their close friendship. 

The way that Ekih thought about life was far less complex or detailed. It was more imaginative, like a child's way of viewing the world and it was constantly coming up with new ideas to explain old concepts.

She also knew of the difference between Joy and Happiness. She just didn’t know all the needless details that others had pointed out about them over the years. Happiness is just what she felt and joyful was what she was. 

The three had their own definitions of happiness and joy, and they often disagreed on who was more correct.

By each teenagers’ standard, the amount of people who had found their joy between the three of them differed. 

WIth Ekih’s theory. Everyone had found joy. Her more than the rest of them as she was always happy and full of joy. Both Kabia and Raneah could agree on that. 

What complicated things was figuring out whether or not Kabia and Raneah were happy using Raneah’s theory. 

Ever since they’d become Dora Milaje, the answer to that one question had been hard to find. 

With the new skills and experiences that they had acquired over the last year, they were both sure that they were more than happy with their positions in life. 

The only issue was that Raneah was sure that Kabia hadn’t found joy yet, and it was affecting her ability to fully indulge in the honour of serving her country. 

She was always chasing the hero title, spreading herself thin with unnecessarily intense training. 

Kabia argued otherwise, claiming that it was Raneah who felt this way and she was just projecting. 

She knew that she was just distracting from the truth. Seeing as Raneah had always been more reserved. But she wasn’t willing to admit that she had no idea where she was supposed to look for this mysterious ‘Joy’ figure. 

So she stood her ground. Arguing with her friends and comparing who was happiest. And who held the most joy. 

The same conversation recycled itself over and over again, becoming a regular topic of conversation for them. 

Even as they walked into the training grounds of the palace, they bickered about it. 

“For the last time, Kabia. Joy and happiness are not the same things.” Ekih said to her friend. She walked backwards to be able to face the other 2 as they approached their desired building. 

“Exactly, “ Raneah started, looking at Kabia with her all-knowing eyes. 

“I’m just saying how can we compare the two when they bring the same feeling to us? Why are you two being so headstrong about this? It’s not like you can physically see any of these things anyway.” Kabia argued. 

The never ending comparison between the two feelings was becoming tedious. She was becoming less susceptible to listening and understanding their points. 

So much so, that she easily allowed herself to be distracted by the calling of her name. 

“Kabia!” came a deeply rich voice from behind. 

She turned instantly, knowing who she was going to find standing behind her. 

“T- Thimi.” she stuttered out. 

“You’re back from your mission.” she continued, struggling to keep her mind focused anymore. Her cheeks burned as she tried to push down a smile. 

Thimi nodded with a grin. Going in to hug Kabia, who just stood stunned at the young wardog’s reappearance. 

“I missed you.” Thimi whispered in her ear, sending chills down Kabia’s back. 

She held onto the other woman for far longer than necessary. Forgetting who she had previously been walking with. 

When she let go, and let the wardog go to hug the other two girls, her mind was in a completely halted state. 

A dizziness came upon her. And she had to hold on to Raneah's arm to keep her balance. 

“Kabia?” came a voice again.

"Hm.?" She asked once she realised that someone had been talking to her. 

"I asked if you wanted to hang out sometime next week. Before I get assigned to leave again." 

"Uh," Kabia started, trying to arrange her thoughts. Looking at Ekih and Raneah, she realised that this wouldn't be a group activity. It would just be her and Thimi. 

Her face grew hot, and her mouth dry.

The wardog stood looking down at her. “I’ll give you some time to think about it.”

Still, Kabia didn’t say a thing.

She watched the woman hesitantly walk away, instead.

“Well there’s your problem.” Raneah’s voice came through, snapping her out of her daze.

“What’s my problem?”

“You’re your own worst enemy.”

“I am not!”

“Kabs, are you serious right now?” Raneah continued. 

Ekih interjected finally, “Kabia, that was your physical evidence of joy and you just let her walk away.” 

Kabia shook her head and folded her arms, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

The other two rolled their eyes.

She dismissed them.

"I don't have time to talk about this. We're going to be late." 

Luckily they didn't press the issue more, deciding to just follow her to the training facilities. 

From the moment that training started there was a strange energy in the room. 

It wasn’t as tense as every other day. 

Kabia looked around for any particularly different features in the room that she stretched in, but the room looked identical to how it had when she had last been there. 

She wasn’t the only one to notice. Ekih and Raneah doing their rounds of observation too. They made eye contact with each other when a laugh came through the room. Unfamiliar to all of them. 

Their focus shifted to near the door of the room, where an unknown woman stood talking to the General. 

As they looked closer, they saw the most unusual thing of the day. 

The General had a large grin across her face. And it was clear that she had been the one laughing. 

Kabia’s eyes grew large at the sight, seeing General Okoye’s hand being held by the woman without the General flinching or pulling away. 

Instinctively the girls stood up and went to a corner of the room to talk. 

“Is that-” Ekih started. 

“-General Okoye smiling.” Kabia finished. 

They were huddled in a triangular shield-like form. 

“Who’s that woman standing next to her?” Kabia asked.

“Clearly Bast herself; with the way she’s making her smile.” Ekih laughed, getting a chuckle out of the others. 

Raneah looked up at the two again making sure that she was seeing things correctly, “So none of us have ever seen her before?” 

Her friends shook their heads in agreement. 

Nobody had ever seen this woman. But clearly Okoye was very familiar with her.  

“Maybe it’s a test. Something the General has set up to see if we’re observant.” Ekih suggested. 

A minute of silent thought took place, and the other two couldn’t argue with her idea. It was likely that Okoye was testing them. 

That was what made the most sense. She had to be pretending to be happy to trick all the newer Doras. 

“Should we approach?” 

“No.” Kabia quickly stopped them. “If we attack and it’s not a test we’ll be done for. Let’s just stay together and keep an eye on them until the woman leaves.” 

The others followed her lead, going back to their positions close to each other. They kept an eye on the General and the strange woman for the majority of the session, even slowing down their normally fast paced sparring to take more glimpses of the scene that never ended. 

By the end of the day, they were certain that something was wrong. Okoye had barely been herself the entire time. All she was focused on was the woman that held her so closely. 

Okoye hadn’t been oblivious to the stares that she had been getting throughout the day. Especially the ones from the Triple Bullets, as she liked to call them. 

Kabia, Raneah and Ekih were her strongest new recruits.

They were also the nosiest. 

From the first day that they entered the palace, they were a tight unit of gossipers. 

Which was why she wasn’t surprised that even 30 minutes after training had ended, they were all still pretending to pack their things up, when really they were just staring at you and her. 

She was more surprised that the girls hadn’t found out about the two of you months before.

You stood in front of her, your hand in hers. “They’re still there?” you asked, looking away from the girls to prevent yourself from laughing. 

She nodded, her day-long smile fading as she rolled her eyes. 

“I should probably introduce myself before I get ambushed on my way home.” you said, getting a sigh as a reply. 

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” 

The two of you turned, looking directly at the group of young girls. 

“Girls.” she said, crossing her arms in salute. 

You stood next to her with an awkward smile, as you waited for your cue. 

“General.” they all said in patchy unison. 

“I’d like to introduce you to someone.” Okoye said.

They all looked at you. You crossed your arms, before extending your arm out. “I’m Y/n. Okoye’s-”

“-Wife.” Raneah declared. She pointed to the ring on your finger, then at the matching one that Okoye wore. 

The other two gasped, getting a chuckle out of you, while Okoye tried to hide a grin. 

“I did not expect that.” Raneah said breathlessly. 

Okoye eyed her questionably prompting her to correct herself. “Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I meant to say; You look like a wonderful couple.” 

You smiled at her as she finally took your extended hand and shook it. She had a strong grip, apologising through her expression. 

When you offered your hands to the others, it was a lot more comical. 

Kabia had completely zoned out so she didn’t notice until Raneah bumped her shoulder. 

Ekih was more aware of your presence. Taking your hand in hers but nearly yanking it off with the amount of force that she used. 

“Woah” you said, pulling your arm back. 

“Oh sh-.I am so sorry.” she said, breathing heavily. 

“It’s okay.” you said,

Okoye glared a warning to the girls.  

‘Stop embarrassing me.’ 

You cleared your throat, “ I was assigned a new weapons development project that requires me to work with the Dora for a few weeks.” you started to explain. 

The girls nodded in understanding. Clearly having been waiting for an explanation. 

You all stood there for a while, before Raneah looked out and saw that the natural light from the sun was dimming. It was getting late. 

“I think we’d better go.” she said.

She led the other two out of the facility.

“Of course they chose the one day you were going to be here to act like that.” Okoye said. 

The girls made their way to their homes, all shocked by the new revelation of Okoye actually having the ability to smile for longer than a split second. 

“It’s got to be magic.” Ekih said, walking backwards once again. 

“Magic? Don’t be ridiculous, Ekih.” Kabia argued. 

“I’m not being ridiculous. What else would explain seeing the General smile for hours on end?” 

“I don’t know, but it’s definitely not magic.” 

“Think about it. Maybe Y/n has some kind of power that attracts people to her.” 

Kabia rolled her eyes, “If that were true we would have acted normal back there. And in case you didn’t notice we were a mess.” 

“Fine. Maybe it only works on the General. There’s no other way she would have been acting like that. Smiling is not a normal thing that she just… does.” 

“She seemed pretty normal to me.” Raneah finally pitched in. 

“Of course she looked normal to you, Miss “Joy can find everyone”. “ Kabia mimicked her. 

Raneah gently shoved her to the left. 

“Well maybe it is joy.” she shot back. 

The other two both looked at her questionably. 

Ekih’s expression pleading for her to elaborate while Kabia’s pleaded for her to let it go so she could forget about the embarrassing interaction. 

“I know that we’ve always seen the General as this emotionless woman who doesn’t experience regular human feelings like the rest of us. But maybe we’re not one-hundred percent right. 

What if she’s kept a tough exterior shell and made it an entire fake-personality to showcase to the rest of the world. And she deliberately chooses to fool the rest of us and make us paint a specific picture of her. 

And she does this as often as possible. Pretending that she’s unapproachable and unhappy or annoyed. All because she knows that she can store her Joy into her forever person. 

The person that she knows will love her regardless of what’s going on and won’t judge her for her authentic personality…” Raneah rambled on, completely enthralled by the potential of the concept that she had developed actually being correct. 

Ekih leaned into every word, loving the idea too. 

Both of their minds were spinning in different directions, analysing the situation. 

Kabia on the other hand, barely paid attention to the absurd idea. 

“Or maybe she was just having a really good day and decided to smile for once.” Kabia argued. 

Ekih shook her head. “That wasn’t something you get from a good day, Kabs. What we witnessed back there was Joy. Real , pure joy that is probably not going anywhere as long as Y/n is there. Again, magic.” 

“You're really going to keep calling it magic?” 

“It’s either that or I’m calling it love powers.” 

Kabia sighed at the suggestion. 

Somehow she preferred the former. 

“So what do we do with this information?” she asked. She was becoming intrigued, though she didn’t want to admit it. 

“Well, you should use that information to put your pride aside and agree to go out with Thimi.” Raneah said. They were nearing her house, which meant that the other two’s houses weren’t too far away either. 

Kabia immediately shook her head. “I’m not doing that.” 

“Why not?” the other two whined in unison. 

“Because I’ll look like a foo- I just won’t, okay.” She stopped the conversation there. 

Ekih grew completely silent, detecting her house from a farther distance and offering her goodbyes. 

Raneah and Kabia stood in front of the formers’ house. 

Kabia, looking at the ground, felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up trying her best not to show too much emotion.

“Look. I know you might think you don’t need joy in your life because you're making a mark by being a Dora. but everyone needs that extra something that keeps them going. I’m not saying you have to go out with her if you don’t want to. I’m just saying; if you want to - which I can tell you do- you should do it.” 

Feeling her eyes start to water, she wiped the developing tears away, smiling at Raneah. 

“Thanks.” 

The two hugged, and Kabia made her way home.

A week after the first time anyone had seen the General smiling, it was becoming a regular occurrence. 

With you so close by, she was constantly smiling at you or with you. 

She had barely noticed that there was a major shift in her behaviour. She always acted like that around you. 

Though the previous weeks’ intense stares had been directed at Okoye. Now they were mostly being given to you. 

The girls had been a bit more subtle than the last time, but you could still clearly tell that they were staring at you as you worked. 

Okoye had walked past you and pointed it out a couple of times, but you had politely declined all her offers to handle the situation. 

As the third hour of training came into action, and the Doras were taking a break, you could feel the stares intensifying. 

Again, Okoye came to you. 

‘Y/n, my love. If I catch them looking at you one more time, I’m going to cause a scene.” she spoke with a fake smile on her face. 

You hummed in understanding. “Let me talk to them first, Okoye.” 

She reluctantly let you go, watching you approach them as they tried to avoid eye contact now that you were close. 

By the time you stood right in front of them, they were still trying to avoid looking directly at you. 

“Did you girls need something?” you asked, looking at Raneah, who was the only one comfortable enough to look at you. 

“We’re really sorry for staring. We just have so many questions.” she said to you. 

“Go ahead.” you offered. 

Ekih’s eyes lit up and she immediately looked up at you. 

“We’re trying to figure out what to call what you have.” 

Your eyes wandered up in thought. “What I have?” you questioned.

“The thing that you have that makes General Okoye smile so much.” Raneah explained. 

You looked out towards your wife when you heard this. She was always at least slightly smiling when you were around. It was hard to envision her not being the same when you weren’t around.

“How often is she like this when I’m not around?” you asked no particular person. 

Kabia let out a sly chuckle, “She’s never like this when you’re not around. It's like a magical super power that you have. That’s what Ekih calls it. ”

A super power? You wanted to laugh at the idea, but the girls seemed very serious. 

As you turned her head to look at Okoye, and you saw her bright smile towards you, you softly returned her one of your own. 

“Okoye smiles.” you tried to reason with the three. They shook their heads heavily. 

“Raneah’s the most observant person we know and even she hadn’t seen the General smiling so much before you came last week. “ Kabia spoke. 

“It’s amazing to look at honestly.” she continued , “I don’t want to agree with Ekih’s idea that its a literal super power, but it's a nice figurative super power.” she smiled sheepishly at you. Thinking about her own potential superhero. 

You took in a deep breath of contentment. 

“Maybe it is like a super power.” you whispered.

 ‘One that I’m more than grateful to have.’ you thought. 

If you could bring Okoye even a fraction of the happiness that she brought you, you would be more than glad to. 

As for Kabia, she was starting to soften up to the idea of taking Thimi up on her offer. 

After all, what was the worst that could happen?

Maybe she’d find her joy.

[thegirlmirage]

This website (and Twitter for similar reasons) has a lot of "transfem verse transmasc" fighting happening that doesn't exist offline, at least, not even close to the same scale.

I need people to understand that the discourse is poisoned by the amount of TERFs and Fascists that staff refuse to ban. You won't even be aware of it having a direct pathway but I promise you, while there may be genuine salient points people need to make, they're being fired up by transphobes. If we're fighting each other we're not fighting them.

And listen like, there will be things we kinda do need to disagree on. But we need to be really really really understanding with each other, we need to be acting in good faith with each other - there's an inherent loss of understanding online because people aren't in front of you gesticulating and speaking. It's easy for people to angrily disagree when they're actually agreeing even in offline spaces.

Me and my friends knew this transmasc person who spent most of their time online, and had become convinced that you genuinely couldn't trust trans women and when I actually met them, they were sort of weird to me (not in a major way) that made me uncomfortable and so we didn't want to spend time with them. But I was fully ready to befriend them. I later found out prior to even meeting me that they had spread rumours about me not being safe, which is always a little scary when that happens.

They are a very lonely person and often spend a lot of time talking to their friends about how they struggle to make meaningful connections - I'm a big believer in giving people a proper chance, I have a very good track record with helping lonely people make friends and I really did want to be friends with this person - but online discourses had made them mistrustful and actually a little dangerous towards me.

I'm not saying every situation is the same. But what I am seeing is a very clear pathway for people becoming more isolated when what they really need is community. It pains me that this person couldn't see past that and was actively sabotaging themselves.

Please. Be nice to each other. Try to understand. Meet up outside at queer events and forget what you've read online. Let's hang out in the park and share a picnic together instead of all this fighting

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

A rather short question compared to others you may get. But I love hearing your rambles over character relationships. So a quick question (even if it may be quite dumb) from me is, do you think the Tweels actually care about Azul beyond business partners, 🤔, and why? 👀

Hmmmm… The answer to this one isn’t as simple as a “yes” or a “no” for me 🤔 because I feel like that would be greatly oversimplifying a very complex system of relationships.

At first glance, Azul and the twins have a very business-oriented relationship, with Azul as the “boss” and the twins serving as his lackeys that lure in gullible and desperate fools potential clients. The twins have especially made it clear that they stick with Azul because they find him entertaining, and, of course, Azul finds Jade and Floyd’s help to be invaluable for his burgeoning business. The dynamic is reminiscent of the saying “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours”; it mutually benefits all parties because they all agree to cooperate with one another toward the same goal, albeit for their own reasons.

To their peers, it appears that Octavinelle is very close with one another. They perceive the twins as being loyal to Azul, and that Azul, in turn, places a great deal of trust in the twins. For example, in Lyreless Brawl, Jamil tells Azul to call Floyd off when Floyd continues beaning him. Azul has to correct Jamil by stating that the twins actually just do whatever they want; they are not always beholden to his commands. In another instance (Jade’s Dorm Uniform vignettes), Vil is highly suspicious of Jade showing up on Pomefiore’s doorstep and claiming he wants to transfer dorms; Vil, an A list actor who is able to tell when others are lying or putting on an act, is under the impression that Jade still harbors loyalty to Octavinelle and is still close with Azul. Then, in the manga anthology comic (which isn’t considered canon, but I’m including this point anyway), Cater describes Azul, Floyd, and Jade’s relationship as “special”. Indeed, the trio’s bond is readily apparent to outsiders.

Sometimes people point out that the twins’ teasing shows that they are affectionate to Azul, but I actually disagree with this point because this behavior isn’t exclusively for Azul. Jade and Floyd basically mess with everyone in the cast as long as it gets them an interesting reaction. I guess you could say that they tease Azul more often than the other characters (which is true to some extent), though this could also just as easily be chalked up to having known Azul for longer and being aware of how he is easily embarrassed by mentions of his past self and/or instances when his tough mob boss persona is challenged (ie when Jade tricks Azul into dancing for him in the first Halloween event).

There are many more subtle hints at how Azul, Floyd, and Jade care about one another hold each other to a higher regard than they do others. In episode 3, Jade and Floyd immediately think to go and check on Azul when they realize that his golden contracts have been poofed and they have a “bad feeling” about the situation. They are genuinely concerned about Azul and his safety, even if it is just because of a gut reaction and there is no real proof behind that feeling. When the three reunite, Azul asks the twins to willingly give their powers to him (when Azul had, in fact, previously been just stealing powers from mob students without using a contract as a magic limiter). Azul was willing to take others’ magic without asking, but despite being emotional and acting irrationally, he stopped to explicitly get Jade and Floyd’s permission before he took their magic. This demonstrates a level of caring that isn’t granted to everyone else.

If you watch the Octavinelle CM, it implies that Azul thinks of the twins as very important to him too. At ~20 seconds, Azul is holding an orb (bubble?) which contains the twins. When that bubble bursts, he becomes distressed and finally succumbs to his OB. This mirrors what we see happening in book 3; when the twins denounce him and refuse to hand over their magic, that’s when Azul breaks down… when he believes he has lost the support of his two closest confidants.

Following the Overblot, the framing of the game seems to imply that Jade and Floyd are the first to rush to Azul’s side, as when Azul wakes up, it is Floyd that first notices it and it is Jade who tests Azul to make sure he is thinking clearly (”How many fingers am I holding up?”). It is also the twins that inform Azul of the Overblotting incident. (We may get further clarification on this when the manga adaptation releases the Episode of Octavinelle!) When Azul later freaks out about his secret getting out, Jade insists that he calm down and rest instead. This could be because Jade wants to just relish in his suffering, but it could also just as easily be interpreted as, in part, due to actual concern for Azul’s health following his Overblot. (I also want to point out here that, prior to Azul’s Overblot, Jade warns him that using It’s a Deal without a scroll is dangerous and that Azul understands the consequences of it; again, this could support the idea that the twins, Jade in particular, were worried about Azul losing control of himself and his powers.) The twins then collectively tease their dorm leader for getting teary-eyed. However, judging by their tone of voice, it is said in an empathetic manner rather than a mocking one. (Note: Jade and Floyd also seem very happy to reunite with Azul when he is rescued in episode 6, though again they seemed to speak in a more relaxed and easy manner.)

What is most telling to me is not any of the things I’ve previously mentioned, but something that is often overlooked: what the trio calls one another. In Azul’s flashback, we see that Floyd once called Azul “Tako-chan”/”Octy”. Fans often think of Floyd’s nicknames as cute and endearing (as he gives nicknames to everyone in the cast), but it actually seems to be a lot more meaningful if Floyd actually refers to a  character by actual name rather than by a nickname. This nuance is not carried over consistently in the localization/EN; in JP, Floyd ALWAYS calls others by nickname with the exceptions of Jade and Azul. Notice that when Floyd addresses Azul in the present, he uses Azul’s name rather than call him an octopus--and the only other character Floyd calls by name is his twin brother. This confers some degree of respect that is exclusive to the trio and not to anyone else. Floyd doesn’t even call his teachers by their actual names, ONLY Jade and Azul. The same can be said of Jade and Azul; we don’t know how they specifically referred to each other in the past, we can see that in the present they call everyone “[Name]-san”, with “-san” being a polite honorific, similar to the word “mister” in English (again, a nuance that does not carry over to EN). However, Jade and Azul call one another and Floyd only by their name, which indicates closeness and familiarity. 

With all of that being said, it’s no wonder why many perceive the Octatrio’s relationship as being a close friendship. However, what’s interesting and makes things not so clear cut is that the trio themselves doesn’t seem to operate under the mindset of a friendship. There is an inherent distrust of one another that is present in conjunction with these more subtle cues that they do, in fact, care for one another. One example of this is Jade expressing in episode 4 that he would never consider making a deal with Azul (though Floyd readily did, and seemed to have fun with his temporary deep voice). Azul also notes in episode 4 that the twins consider their time with him just “playing around” and that they have no reason to willingly submit to him. This seems to imply that they value Azul for the entertainment he provides rather than genuinely enjoying his company. (They also first got involved with Azul and continue to go along with his plans because they think it is “fun”, but it’s possible that these feelings changed into actual enjoyment of Azul’s company later down the line.) Furthermore, Azul is well-aware of the fact that the twins will leave him and/or challenge him for his position if they ever lose interest in him or they decide he’s not worthy to be their leader. He states this casually and clear as day over a game of mancala, like it is an inevitability that he has already come to terms with. This seems to indicate that Azul wholeheartedly believes the twins are willing to drop him as soon as he becomes boring to them—and he’s prepared to put up a fight if and when they do. (This is said in front of Jamil, whom they are playing, so it could be argued that the topic was brought on to provoke him, but personally I don’t see a reason for Azul to reveal as much as he did regarding his own relationships if he and Floyd are mainly serving as a distraction.)

Both Azul and the twins come from backgrounds/have had experiences which would have likely exposed them to business transactional relationships (ie Azul via his business beginning around middle school and the twins in observing their father’s business partners butter him up). It wouldn’t shock me whatsoever to learn that these experiences have contributed to an estranged worldview on friendship. Azul even expresses an aversion to “attachment” in his Dorm Uniform vignettes (although he speaks about it in reference to his business, this could be extended to other relationships). Bear in mind that this may not be totally reliable information (as Azul does care for the Mostro Lounge and often acts in ways to cultivate a “cool” image rather than to express his true feelings). Likewise, Jade is careful about how others perceive him so that he can take advantage of those perceptions when it is convenient for him (see: his Ceremonial Robes vignettes). I would say the only one of the trio that doesn’t care to keep up with this kind of thing is Floyd (mainly because he likes to act freely and as his whims dictate).

All of that ends up playing into NRC’s prime weakness: that its students are prideful, and would rather work by themselves than reach other to others for help or to allow themselves to be vulnerable around other people. This leaves Octavinelle in a weird gray area in which their peers may perceive them as being close, but Azul, Jade, and Floyd themselves (especially Azul and Jade) continue to hold each other at a distance. That friendship is something considered provisional amongst themselves, but it’s also something that outsiders see as true loyalty and kinship. There’s also the possibility that there’s a certain image that Octavinelle is trying to uphold and which is entirely different than the what the reality of the matter is (and I would be more inclined to believe that if only Floyd wasn’t such a wild card; I don’t believe that he’d consistently want to keep up said image as much as Azul and Jade would). It’s two sides of the same coin that is their very complicated ties.

[ladyhindsight]

i know this isnt rlly ur thing but the fandom is so cooked............ just trying to exist as an anti incest fan is impossible i constantly get told off by other fans im stupid and too serious or missing the symboism idk the fans make me think im takin crazy pills its crazy cause sometimes i think ur too harsh on cc but like the incest stuff i agree with and 4 some reason thats the hardest opinion for fans 2 accept idgi incest is worse than cassandra bein repetitive??

In general, it is problematic to declare certain views as correct under the guise of then ignoring differing ones. Why would some readers get to decide what is too serious and, for what even, stupid? What makes positive views towards the books more respectable and virtuous than those offering valid criticism? What gives the right to hand-wave the concerns some readers have just because you have no issue with them and raise that point above all others? When you suppress the opinions of others and tower over them by dictating how a book should be interpreted and liked, you are less likely to get those who think contrary interested in your views, albeit positive or negative.

Some of the opinions I’ve contested (for instance, those concerning the incest theme or the repetitive nature of Clare’s writing) and that I’ve ever come across seem (personally) to be approached superficially to some extent, sometimes even in untruthful way because of the incapability to understand where the criticism in question even comes from or how it even came about. It is easier to compare two seemingly similar things than to understand their meaning in their own contexts.

I know that no one really wants to acknowledge or listen to anything negative about what they love so much. It seems to be a downright personal insult or attack on your character when something so important and special to you is criticized. For which I think it’s important to separate yourself from that, know who you are and what you think and why, to recognize that something can be shit and improved and what more and that you still like it and/or are entertained by it.

Fiction is the place to safely entertain ideas so far out of our own lives, to challenge our thinking and ethics and moral even. So it’s not necessarily the content of a work that’s interesting or disturbing but rather the implementation of different elements and how they are executed with the rest of what makes a story. And that’s usually where I find my criticism towards Clare rising. Not what is included rather than how it is carried out and presented in the context of this particular author’s writing.

Everyone is entitled and free to their own opinions, as well as to how they consider and value others. It’s the tone of expression and how you treat people in face of disagreement that’s more noteworthy, I think. During the earlier years of the blog, I did receive messages from readers who were less than pleased with its contents or my approach on criticizing Clare’s writing, but I’ve always said and will always say that I’m just one person on the internet offering opinions, viewpoints, and criticism, and whether someone finds that helpful or not is not for me to decide. Though I am endlessly glad for all the people who interact and have interacted with me here and offered wider perspective and insights on different topics concerning TSC.

I don’t know what wisdom to offer, if any, but maybe it’s easier and brings less weariness to just do your own thing and engage less with the readership that does not welcome that type of discussion. I’ve personally had to do a lot of work on reflecting on things that I liked and their relationship to me (Clare’s works as the glaring example here), and coming to terms with that is not an overnight experience. Sometimes it’s also easier on yourself to think I disagree and move on than trying to understand each individual psychology behind every opinion.

I get that I’m sometimes harsh in my critiques. It’s just that I get feelings and the snark comes out, and I’m prone to hyperbole in terms of humor, so the end result is what it is. I’m not entirely happy and more disappointed in retrospect how I’ve conducted myself on some instances while trying to find the proper words and tone when approaching whatever the topic is at hand. And sometimes it doesn’t work and things go to shit. I’m good at being mean to words on paper, but it’s not how I want to be when talking and messaging with real people. :’)

[amitytaylor]

i know this is just a bit far fetched on bkdk but hear me out ok?

I feel like Katsuki had other reasons for behaving the way he did towards izuku with the bullying thing outside of “feeling like izuku was putting him down” and his inferiority complex.

We know that Katsuki was praised constantly for his physical abilities and quirk, constantly being told that he was going to be an amazing hero. We also know that Mitsuki tried to combat his ever growing ego by essentially bulling him back, treating him the way he treats others in terms of yelling/name calling/etc. We also know that quicks have an effect on people’s personalities aka mitsuki and katsuki having explosive/extreme personalities and katsukis being even more than his mothers.

Taking all of this into consideration, it is also extremely likely that Katsuki also had feelings for Izuku as kids. Like deep feelings. We know he feels all his feelings in extremes and we also know he’s most comfortable transmuting all of his feelings into rage and anger because he knows exactly how to handle that kind of emotion. If his devoted and loving feelings that he had for Izuku grew into more it’s so possible for him to absolutely panic and not know what to do with the overwhelming newfound emotions and therefore transmutes it all into rage.

Love and Hate are on the same spectrum and as many writers have explosives them being two sides of the same coin, you can’t hate something you didn’t love or care for in the first place.

I’ve always been a believer that Izuku knew and understood his romantic feelings because Inko taught him all of it and more because of how sensitive and vulnerable Izuku was (“crybaby”). Mitsuki was so focused on tampering Katsukis wild rage and explosiveness and ego boosting by everyone around him that i doubt topics like love and feelings came up much at all. (ps this is no hate on mitsuki or maseru i love them but all parents make mistakes ok? ok leave me be). This would give Izuku plenty of time to control and understand his love for Katsuki, but Katsuki who only ever transmuted his feelings into rage because he didn’t understand this encompassing loving devotion to someone is now coming to terms with ALL OF IT and being hit like a brick fucking wall WOTH NOT ONLY HIS REGRETS FOR HOW HE TREATED IZUKU but also because he realized he did those things in a shit attempt to keep Izuku safe and from harm. Katsuki KNOWS Izukus dream is to be a hero and will do anything to be one regardless of his quirkless status and that FUCKING TERRIFIED KATSUKI. Katsuki knew he could protect himself, but could he always protect Izuku when Izuku cared so little about his own well being to the point he ALLOWED Katsuki to bully the fuck out of him for years without ever doing anything about it?? His goal was to crush his dream of being a hero so that he could protect Izuku and keep him safe.

NOW, he knows damn well he would never have been able to stop him. I MEAN HIS REACTION TO IZUKU WITH THE SLIDGE VILLAN? Which is exactly why he stopped bullying him, because he knew Izuku would always be a hero at heart no matter what he did or said. ESPECIALLY being on the same day as the “take a swan dive off the building” like that’s peak heroism on Izukus side and Katsuki KNOWS THAT.

Anyways this turned into a ramble of my own thoughts but i truly believe Katsuki and Izuku have been in love with each other since they met 😘 (if you got this far thanks for reading and lmk if you agree/disagree and why so we can chat about it 😂😭)

[fanfic-lover-girl]

The True Yugioh Rivals

I wanted to do a follow up to this post:

In particular, I want to focus on GX and Zexal. Now, Jaden/Judai has 3 rivals that people usually agree on: Manjoume/Chazz, Ryo/Zane and Edo/Aster. For Zexal, Yuma has Shark and Kaito/Kite.

I have seen people argue that Ryo and Kaito are the main rivals, but I disagree. For me, the true rivals in these 2 shows are Manjoume and Shark.

It's been years since I have watched Yugioh so let me try to explain:

Rivalries between peers vs seniors

Shark and Manjoume are Yuma and Judai's peers so the relationship feels more equal. There is more give and take with their rivalries. Sure, Manjoume never beat Judai...but if I recall correctly there were at least two times Majoume could have won but he lost for a reason that grew his character. I am 99% sure Manjoume could have beat Judai as Ojamanjoume but he threw the match as part of his goof act. Judai was super disappointed in him.

Compare this to Kaito and Ryo who are older, more mature duelists. Judai and Ryo tie at the end of season 1 but Judai never beats him (not that I recall). Yuma never beats Kaito on screen. It's a different flavour of rivalry. Kaito and Ryo are better described as measuring sticks to show how far the protag has come or how much further they need to go. Like stepping stones or a pinnacle to aspire to for the protag than a rival.

Time spent with the protagonist

Shark and Manjoume are there from beginning to end. They were the ones who had the first set of duels with the protag (Shark is Yuma's first antagonist similar to how Kaiba was for Yugi/Atem - even the possession theme is the same!). And they had the last set of duels with the protag as well. Shark is Yuma's final boss and the Manjoume and Judai duel had major impact on the tail-end of Manjoume's character arc.

Ryo and Kaito don't interact as much with the protag and their friend group and their stories are not as interwoven with the protag as the other two. Ryo and Kaito are introduced later in the protag's story, usually around the time when the hero is beginning to become overconfident. Also, the rivalry stops mattering much after the season they are introduced and they serve their role of knocking the protag down a peg.

The secondary rivals have more meaningful rivalries with other characters

This applies especially to Kaito. Honestly, Kaito has a more impactful rivalry with Chris (V) and Mizael. Honestly, I wish I had more Chris and Kaito scenes! I loved their backstory. Plus the energy of the Mizael and Kaito rivalry was off the charts! Zane has a more interesting storyline like Edo and his brother Sho. I wish there was some more substance in the Fubuki/Atticus and Yusuke friendship. Missed potential there.

Shark has a great story with Thomas/IV and I love their dynamic. But ultimately, his relationship with Yuma is still better. I love IV but he's more Shark's antagonist than rival.

Parallels and foils

What made Atem and Kaiba's rivalry so powerful, especially in the Battle City arc, was how they foiled each other. Atem wants to remember his past, and Kaiba wants to bury his. Atem depends on his friends, and Kaiba pushes people away including his beloved brother. How in season 1 both Kaiba and Yami were willing to do whatever it took to win. Kaiba was willing to commit suicide and Yami cared more about victory than Kaiba's life.

In my opinion, Manjoume and Shark better parallel/foil their protagonists then Kaito and Ryo.

For example, in Manjoume's arc he becomes more carefree and learns to be unashamedly himself as Monajoume Thunder. He stops caring what his brothers think and becomes more sure of himself. He learns the value of relationships and increases his social circle. On the other hand, Judai starts off as child-like and sociable and becomes more burdened after each season. To the point where he is borderline depressed in season 4 and isolates himself from his friends. He begins to feel lost and duelling stops being fun.

Or how Shark starts the story as a disgraced duelist who is at rock bottom. Versus Yuma who starts as a joke duelist and becomes a complete one-man army at the end. How Shark and Yuma are forced to fight on opposing sides in the Barian war due to their obligations to their loved ones. How Shark hides away his emotions to be the leader his Barian emperors need vs Yuma who shines brighter than ever, even willing to die alongside Vector, the same psycho who manipulated him and nearly destroyed his bond with Astral. All with a smile on his face (Yuma is a king, Yuma haters are not welcomed on my blog). How can anyone hate sub Yuma??? Yuma is the embodiment of sunshine!

Emotional moments

In my opinion, there are so many more emotional beats and duels with Manjoume and Shark. Judai and Manjoume joke around with each other, Judai supports Manjoume in several instances for example when it comes to his brothers. And my heart melts when I think about Yuma and Shark. They encourage each other at their lowest moments. Shark has sacrificed himself for Yuma on several occasions. Yuma is always chasing after Shark when Shark is going down a bad path. These two are soulmates, ok? I love their friendship!

Yuma cares more about Shark than Kaito. Judai cares more about Manjoume than Ryo. And vice versa.

Just compare the duels between Yuma/Kaito and Judai/Ryo vs Yuma/Shark and Judai/Manjoume. You know what I mean. Judai and Ryo hardly even interact after season 1!

Personal preference

I am not a huge fan of rivalries where the rival dominates the protag. I prefer more balanced relationships like Yuma/Shark and Yusei/Jack. I also like rivalries like Yami/Kaiba where the protag is slightly better than the rival but the rival keeps him on his toes, pushing him to be better. Where the protag can't treat the rival like a joke. I will admit that the GX rivalry between Manjoume and Judai is a bit disappointing but I am still satisfied overall with Manjoume's journey. Just wished he was treated better as a rival character, someone who could propel Judai's story more. But GX treated all the rival characters like garbage in some fashion.